The events of Brother take place in Scarborough, Ontario, a district of Toronto situated in the eastern part of the city. The area is considered one of the "leading immigrant-receiving areas in North America."
Initially referred to as Glasgow (after the Scottish city), the district was settled in the 1790s by Europeans, who established farms and rural villages, displacing the Indigenous Mississaugas, who themselves had displaced the Seneca. The area earned the nickname "Scarberia," a combination of Scarborough and Siberia, because of its remoteness from the populous city of Toronto. In 1850, Scarborough was incorporated as a township. In 1967, it became a borough of Metropolitan Toronto. In 1998, Metropolitan Toronto was amalgamated into the city of Toronto.
In the 1800s and early 1900s, most of the land in Scarborough was dedicated to farming that produced food for residents of Toronto. The area, being lower-cost than Toronto proper, became a popular landing place for immigrants in the post-WWII era. That trend continued into the modern era. In the 2021 census, 76.6 percent of Scarborough's population of 629,000 identified as members of visible minority groups.
Today, the area, which comprises a mix of people mostly of South Asian, European, East Asian, African, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern descent, is renowned for its diverse culinary options. Scarborough is also the home district of prominent musicians such as The Weeknd, Kardinal Offishall, and the Barenaked Ladies.
